Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash
The National Transportation Safety Board questioned witnesses Friday on collision avoidance technology and organizational safety systems to manage risk. It is the third and final day of investigative hearings probing January's midair collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet, operated by PSA airlines. It was the first major midair collision in the United States in decades, killing 67 people over the Potomac River, near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The airport, often called by its code DCA, is considered by the Federal Aviation Administration to be a "special qualification airport" and anyone who flies there must undergo specific training due to the complex and challenging characteristics of the airspace. PSA pilots are all qualified to operate there and receive FAA-approved training, PSA's Assistant Director Flight Operations, Technical, Grant Clow testified. "Think of it like a consolidated playbook of DCA-related guidance that we extract from all the different manuals and resources that we have as like an orientation guide for both new pilots and pilots that maybe have recently upgraded or have been away for a while to kind of re-familiarize themselves with information specific to DCA," he said. However, neither this document nor any of the airline manuals provided to PSA pilots had information specifically describing helicopter operations or routes around at the airport at the time of the accident, according to Clow. The Army's reluctance to use an anti-collision technology known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast, or ADS-B, and why the FAA allowed military helicopter pilots to fly without it was a key topic of questioning Friday. "ADS-B out" transmits radio signals with GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data once per second, independent of air traffic control. However, on January 29, the Black Hawk was flying following an FAA memorandum which allowed it to be turned off. There are currently no rules stating the military must use the collision avoidance system nationwide, an FAA official testified, as ADS-B requirements are determined by location. Lt. Col. Paul Flanigen of the US Army said the Department of Defense has "concerns" with the technology. "I pretty sure most people are aware of the fact that it's inherently open source," Flanigen testified. "It has some spoofing vulnerabilities which make it non-conducive for those sensitive missions, which not just the Army, but all of DOD has to operate on." Earlier this week, a bill was introducedthat would require aircraft operators to install ADS-B technology on all flights and require the Army to keep it turned on in almost every case. The NTSB has also called for aircraft to be equipped with "ADS-B in," the ability to receive data from surrounding aircraft and display it on a cockpit screen for pilots. The NTSB can make recommendations, but it is up to the FAA to mandate something. On Friday, the FAA agreed it should be required, but stopped short of saying it will act on the issue. "Does the FAA, right now, support requiring that any newly manufactured aircraft registered in the US be equipped with ADS-B in?" NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy asked. "Yes, ma'am," Frank McIntosh, FAA chief operating officer replied. "Do you also support or oppose requiring that any aircraft required to be equipped with ADS-B out today… also be required to install and operate ADS-B in?" Homendy followed up. "Yes, ma'am," McIntosh replied again. "Your position has shifted, and I appreciate that," Homendy said. The first two days of testimony highlighted critical moments leading up to the collision as investigators probed witnesses about standard safety practices that should have occurred, altimeters that displayed incorrect altitude, and the helicopter route that came perilously close to the path planes use landing at the airport. There were over ten hours of testimony on each of the first two days of the hearing. Friday could go even longer to make sure everyone has an opportunity to ask questions, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said. The NTSB asks questions, but parties to the investigation including the Army, PSA Airlines, air traffic controller's union and FAA can also examine witnesses. On Thursday, an FAA witness acknowledged the air traffic control tower failed to warn the pilots flying the American Airlines regional jet, operated by PSA Airlines. "No safety alerts," were given, Nick Fuller, the FAA's acting deputy chief operating officer of operations, testified. "Should the local controller have let the PSA crew know that there was a helicopter there?" Homendy asked. "Yes," Fuller acknowledged. The tower did warn the pilots of the Black Hawk helicopter about the approaching regional jet and they said they would avoid it,transcriptsof the cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control audio released revealed. Yet, moments later, the aircraft collided. Multiple air traffic controllers and pilots at Reagan National Airport told the NTSB they struggled with the constant stream of planes, leading to a "make it work" attitude among them. "This is 'we just make it work,' because we don't have another choice," NTSB investigator Brian Soper said they told him in on-site interviews. "There are airplanes coming in and everything was related to the capacity, the demand or the amount of traffic." Another witness, Rich Dressler of Metro Aviation, which operates medical helicopters in Washington said the way the Army flies helicopters around the city makes him uneasy. "Is there any unit that when you hear it makes you feel uncomfortable?" Soper asked. "Sadly, yes," Dressler responded. "I don't like saying that 12th aviation battalion gives us all pause in the community. And I'm speaking from my group there; we are all very uncomfortable when those two units are operating." An NTSB determination of the collision's probable cause is expected in January. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
Final day of NTSB hearing on DC midair collision: investigators press for answers on tech that could have prevented crash The National Trans...
